IPL's second season will end soon. We still have 6 matches to go, and we'll surely see a few more outstanding individual performances. But the 'top 10' or 'top 20' list of this IPL's top performers is now unlikely to change.
Matthew Hayden settled down at the top of the list after about the 20th match, and he looks likely to stay there. He has scored 546 runs with remarkable consistency. His strike rate of 145 is equally remarkable in a tournament where average strike rates have dropped by more than 20 runs.
| Player | Team | From | Runs | Strike Rate | W | Eco | M | MVPI | Money ($) | PVI | Age |
| M Hayden | CSK | AUS | 546 | 145.2 | 0 | -- | 11 | 650 | 375000 | 520 | 37 |
| Suresh Raina | CSK | IND | 394 | 147.0 | 5 | 6.0 | 12 | 591 | 650000 | 1006 | 22 |
| Adam Gilchrist | DC | AUS | 395 | 146.8 | 0 | -- | 13 | 581 | 700000 | 1119 | 37 |
| AB de Villiers | DD | SA | 452 | 134.5 | 0 | -- | 12 | 555 | 300000 | 464 | 25 |
| Rohit Sharma | DC | IND | 285 | 120.3 | 11 | 6.6 | 13 | 490 | 750000 | 1421 | 22 |
| Brad Hodge | KKR | AUS | 359 | 118.9 | 7 | 7.3 | 11 | 480 | 100000 | 188 | 34 |
| Jean-Paul Duminy | MI | SA | 363 | 113.8 | 4 | 5.4 | 12 | 442 | 950000 | 1966 | 25 |
| Yuvraj Singh | KXI | IND | 334 | 121.0 | 6 | 7.1 | 13 | 441 | 1063750 | 2240 | 27 |
| Yusuf Pathan | RR | IND | 234 | 139.3 | 7 | 6.9 | 12 | 406 | 475000 | 1071 | 26 |
| Irfan Pathan | KXI | IND | 182 | 124.7 | 15 | 7.7 | 13 | 404 | 925000 | 2126 | 24 |
| Dwayne Bravo | MI | WI | 218 | 107.4 | 11 | 7.8 | 10 | 395 | 150000 | 336 | 25 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | RR | IND | 281 | 113.8 | 6 | 6.5 | 12 | 385 | 30000 | 71 | 20 |
| Dinesh Karthik | DD | IND | 248 | 138.5 | 0 | -- | 12 | 384 | 525000 | 1171 | 23 |
| MS Dhoni | CSK | IND | 302 | 131.9 | 0 | -- | 12 | 380 | 1500000 | 3611 | 27 |
| RP Singh | DC | IND | 8 | 47.1 | 19 | 6.7 | 13 | 340 | 875000 | 2391 | 23 |
| Lasith Malinga | MI | SL | 0 | 0.0 | 17 | 6.0 | 12 | 337 | 350000 | 951 | 25 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | MI | IND | 318 | 121.4 | 0 | 9.7 | 12 | 335 | 1121250 | 3065 | 36 |
| Ashish Nehra | DD | IND | 1 | 100.0 | 17 | 6.7 | 11 | 318 | 400000 | 1059 | 30 |
| Shane Warne | RR | AUS | 90 | 103.4 | 14 | 7.4 | 12 | 317 | 450000 | 1299 | 39 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | MI | SL | 221 | 115.7 | 7 | 8.1 | 11 | 313 | 975000 | 2801 | 39 |
| K Sangakkara | KXI | SL | 325 | 103.2 | 0 | -- | 13 | 311 | 700000 | 2092 | 31 |
| T Suman | DC | IND | 191 | 134.5 | 5 | 6.4 | 9 | 306 | 30000 | 85 | 25 |
| B McCullum | KKR | NZ | 276 | 117.4 | 0 | -- | 11 | 305 | 700000 | 2067 | 27 |
| Harbhajan Singh | MI | IND | 72 | 156.5 | 8 | 6.0 | 12 | 295 | 850000 | 2639 | 28 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | DD | SL | 282 | 118.0 | 0 | 6.5 | 12 | 294 | 250000 | 729 | 32 |
| Anil Kumble | BRC | IND | 15 | 83.3 | 13 | 5.9 | 12 | 288 | 500000 | 1487 | 38 |
| Jacques Kallis | BRC | SA | 274 | 111.8 | 4 | 8.4 | 11 | 287 | 900000 | 2641 | 33 |
| Dwayne Smith | DC | WI | 215 | 162.9 | 1 | 8.9 | 6 | 285 | 100000 | 291 | 26 |
| Abhishek Nayar | MI | IND | 189 | 127.7 | 4 | 5.9 | 12 | 281 | 100000 | 325 | 25 |
| M Muralitharan | CSK | SL | 7 | 100.0 | 11 | 5.7 | 11 | 278 | 600000 | 1941 | 37 |
| Munaf Patel | RR | IND | 28 | 140.0 | 14 | 7.4 | 10 | 269 | 275000 | 906 | 25 |
| M Jayawardene | KXI | SL | 219 | 132.7 | 0 | -- | 10 | 264 | 475000 | 1595 | 31 |
| Albie Morkel | CSK | SA | 77 | 145.3 | 12 | 8.2 | 11 | 262 | 650000 | 2231 | 27 |
| Pragyan Ojha | DC | IND | 1 | 14.3 | 13 | 6.1 | 12 | 254 | 30000 | 108 | 22 |
| A Symonds | DC | AUS | 174 | 151.3 | 3 | 7.6 | 5 | 251 | 1350000 | 1612 | 34 |
| Praveen Kumar | BRC | IND | 63 | 146.5 | 9 | 7.4 | 9 | 236 | 300000 | 1034 | 22 |
| Piyush Chawla | KXI | IND | 27 | 84.4 | 11 | 6.9 | 13 | 229 | 400000 | 1620 | 20 |
| Herschelle Gibbs | DC | SA | 215 | 101.4 | 0 | -- | 11 | 220 | 575000 | 2358 | 35 |
| Amit Mishra | DD | IND | 13 | 86.7 | 11 | 6.9 | 9 | 217 | 30000 | 112 | 26 |
| Ross Taylor | BRC | NZ | 210 | 131.3 | 0 | 13.0 | 7 | 215 | 100000 | 366 | 25 |
If we look at the Indian players, we find Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma in the top five. Both are up there because they have worked a wee bit harder and because their involvement has been deeper. Ravindra Jadeja too displayed similar qualities, but he's a notch or two below because he's a little less talented - and because he's also lately trying to be a bit of a showman like his brilliant captain.
The Pathan brothers are always great value for money, and you wonder where Yuvraj might have been if he had batted the way he really can.
The next table shows how IPL's most expensive players are faring. Note that for the $1million plus players, even a PVI of 2500 is very hard to sustain.
| Player | Team | From | Runs | Strike Rate | W | Eco | M | MVPI | Money ($) | PVI | Age |
| K Pietersen | BRC | ENG | 93 | 109.4 | 4 | 6.5 | 6 | 160 | 1550000 | 4145 | 28 |
| A Flintoff | CSK | ENG | 62 | 117.0 | 2 | 9.5 | 3 | 81 | 1550000 | 4088 | 31 |
| MS Dhoni | CSK | IND | 302 | 131.9 | 0 | -- | 12 | 380 | 1500000 | 3611 | 27 |
| A Symonds | DC | AUS | 174 | 151.3 | 3 | 7.6 | 5 | 251 | 1350000 | 1612 | 34 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | MI | IND | 318 | 121.4 | 0 | 9.7 | 12 | 335 | 1121250 | 3065 | 36 |
| Sourav Ganguly | KKR | IND | 189 | 92.6 | 2 | 8.1 | 12 | 154 | 1092500 | 6486 | 36 |
| Yuvraj Singh | KXI | IND | 334 | 121.0 | 6 | 7.1 | 13 | 441 | 1063750 | 2240 | 27 |
| Rahul Dravid | BRC | IND | 174 | 125.2 | 0 | -- | 9 | 197 | 1035000 | 4273 | 36 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | MI | SL | 221 | 115.7 | 7 | 8.1 | 11 | 313 | 975000 | 2801 | 39 |
| Jean-Paul Duminy | MI | SA | 363 | 113.8 | 4 | 5.4 | 12 | 442 | 950000 | 1966 | 25 |
| Ishant Sharma | KKR | IND | 16 | 123.1 | 11 | 6.9 | 11 | 210 | 950000 | 4067 | 20 |
| Irfan Pathan | KXI | IND | 182 | 124.7 | 15 | 7.7 | 13 | 404 | 925000 | 2126 | 24 |
| Jacques Kallis | BRC | SA | 274 | 111.8 | 4 | 8.4 | 11 | 287 | 900000 | 2641 | 33 |
| Brett Lee | KXI | AUS | 22 | 81.5 | 5 | 5.9 | 4 | 118 | 900000 | 2621 | 32 |
| RP Singh | DC | IND | 8 | 47.1 | 19 | 6.7 | 13 | 340 | 875000 | 2391 | 23 |
| Harbhajan Singh | MI | IND | 72 | 156.5 | 8 | 6.0 | 12 | 295 | 850000 | 2639 | 28 |
| Virender Sehwag | DD | IND | 109 | 139.7 | 0 | -- | 8 | 140 | 833750 | 4764 | 30 |
| Chris Gayle | KKR | WI | 171 | 119.6 | 1 | 7.6 | 7 | 196 | 800000 | 2280 | 29 |
| Robin Uthappa | BRC | IND | 157 | 104.7 | 0 | -- | 11 | 169 | 800000 | 3990 | 23 |
| Rohit Sharma | DC | IND | 285 | 120.3 | 11 | 6.6 | 13 | 490 | 750000 | 1421 | 22 |
| Gautam Gambhir | DD | IND | 212 | 98.1 | 0 | -- | 12 | 162 | 725000 | 3836 | 27 |
| Adam Gilchrist | DC | AUS | 395 | 146.8 | 0 | -- | 13 | 581 | 700000 | 1119 | 37 |
| K Sangakkara | KXI | SL | 325 | 103.2 | 0 | -- | 13 | 311 | 700000 | 2092 | 31 |
| B McCullum | KKR | NZ | 276 | 117.4 | 0 | -- | 11 | 305 | 700000 | 2067 | 27 |
| Jacob Oram | CSK | NZ | 62 | 95.4 | 5 | 8.1 | 9 | 132 | 675000 | 4465 | 30 |
| David Hussey | KKR | AUS | 89 | 193.5 | 0 | 8.5 | 3 | 121 | 675000 | 1841 | 31 |
| Manoj Tiwary | DD | IND | 9 | 69.2 | 0 | 11.0 | 2 | 13 | 675000 | >5000 | 23 |
| Suresh Raina | CSK | IND | 394 | 147.0 | 5 | 6.0 | 12 | 591 | 650000 | 1006 | 22 |
| Albie Morkel | CSK | SA | 77 | 145.3 | 12 | 8.2 | 11 | 262 | 650000 | 2231 | 27 |
| Tyron Henderson | RR | SA | 11 | 73.3 | 1 | 7.5 | 1 | 18 | 650000 | >5000 | 34 |
| Daniel Vettori | DD | NZ | 30 | 100.0 | 7 | 7.8 | 6 | 153 | 625000 | 3156 | 30 |
| S Sreesanth | KXI | IND | 5 | 27.8 | 4 | 8.9 | 6 | 21 | 625000 | >5000 | 26 |
| M Muralitharan | CSK | SL | 7 | 100.0 | 11 | 5.7 | 11 | 278 | 600000 | 1941 | 37 |
| Mashrafe Mortaza | KKR | BAN | 2 | 100.0 | 0 | 14.5 | 1 | -12 | 600000 | >5000 | 25 |
| Herschelle Gibbs | DC | SA | 215 | 101.4 | 0 | -- | 11 | 220 | 575000 | 2358 | 35 |
| Dinesh Karthik | DD | IND | 248 | 138.5 | 0 | -- | 12 | 384 | 525000 | 1171 | 23 |
| Anil Kumble | BRC | IND | 15 | 83.3 | 13 | 5.9 | 12 | 288 | 500000 | 1487 | 38 |
| Yusuf Pathan | RR | IND | 234 | 139.3 | 7 | 6.9 | 12 | 406 | 475000 | 1071 | 26 |
| M Jayawardene | KXI | SL | 219 | 132.7 | 0 | -- | 10 | 264 | 475000 | 1595 | 31 |
| Graeme Smith | RR | SA | 212 | 98.1 | 0 | -- | 12 | 162 | 475000 | 2681 | 28 |
| Shane Warne | RR | AUS | 90 | 103.4 | 14 | 7.4 | 12 | 317 | 450000 | 1299 | 39 |
| Mark Boucher | BRC | SA | 135 | 133.7 | 0 | -- | 8 | 183 | 450000 | 1970 | 32 |
| Ravi Bopara | KXI | ENG | 138 | 116.0 | 0 | 3.8 | 5 | 136 | 450000 | 1368 | 24 |
| Zaheer Khan | MI | IND | 8 | 72.7 | 6 | 6.8 | 6 | 123 | 450000 | 3025 | 30 |
| Murali Kartik | KKR | IND | 21 | 105.0 | 4 | 5.9 | 10 | 135 | 425000 | 2788 | 32 |
Andrew Symonds, J P Duminy, Rohit Sharma, Adam Gilchrist, Dinesh Karthik, Anil Kumble and Yousuf Pathan are currently proving to be highly paisa vasool.
Srinivas Bhogle now works for TEOCO Software Pvt Ltd. This note is based on the detailed IPL1 analysis carried out by Purnendu Maji in 2008. The paisa vasool index uses a model developed by M J Manohar Rao and Rajeeva L Karandikar
